Monday, February 9, 2015

Efforts to Communicate

A priest with the
responsibility for pastoral work in places of labor says Mass in
different groups once a month. In time, he realized this pastoral work
would allow some flowers to bloom and gradually make a bouquet and even a
flower garden. He writes about one of the incidents in Bible & Life. In the workplace groups you have two types who attend the Masses: workers who want to be there, and those who are there because their work bosses thought it was a good idea.

He
brings to the attention of his readers a man from this second group. He
met him for the first time waiting in an area where those preparing to
receive the sacrament of reconciliation were seated. His facial
expression was one of displeasure, and he told the priest: "I don't want
to go to confession."

"Well
let us talk about it." The man after a long period of silence and a
deep sigh said he hadn't been to church for some time, and presently,
he has no desire to return. His section boss learned about his baptism
and that is why he came.

After
a short period he go up and went to the place for the Mass. The other
fellow believers went to communion but he did not, and during the Mass
he showed on his face that he did not like being where he was. At the
end of Mass the priest expressed his desire they all find hope in the
work place. The man was seen by the priest writing something on a piece
of paper.

On
the way to the meal the man came up beside him and gave him a slip of
paper. After a distracted meal the priest headed for the subway and
took out the slip of paper on which was written: "The work place is a
war zone."

He
wouldn't be going back to that work place for a month and prepared an
answer on a similar slip of paper: "Even in a battle zone flowers can
grow." They continued to communicate with these written messages on
slips of paper.

"Flowers don't put an end to war. " "Those who see the flower will not be fighting.""One person who stops and looks at the flower is not sufficient."

This
last message got the priest thinking. After receiving the slip of paper
and seeing the man leave, was like seeing his father and made him sad.

He
ran after the man and asked if they could go for a cup of coffee. They
talked for sometime on many topics. He as a young man was active in the
church and even after beginning to work, but he became frustrated and
faced many difficulties and did not feel the warmth of God's presence
any more.... Tears began to form in his eyes when he received a
telephone call from his work boss. Waiting for him to return the priest was
wondering how to answer his last complaint.

Shaking
his hand as they separated the priest said: "The ones looking at the
flower are two, you and I , so that is reason for you to have hope,
isn't it?"